The news, anew
Saudi Arabia, represented by the Saudi Space Agency (SSA) and King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), has launched the first biological samples of their kind from the Middle East to space.
Science
Air pollution in part of Singapore hit the country's "very high" band on Wednesday, while East Timor shut schools, as haze from forest fires raging in Indonesia causes a regional crisis. The blazes in Indonesia have burned through hundreds of thousands of hectares of forest and plantations, sickened local residents and sent thick haze across the region. Air pollution in western Singapore on Wednesday hit "very high" -- the country's top level -- the National Environment Agency said.
Science
The palm-sized green turtle hatchling flailing through the sand on a Malaysian island may seem vulnerable, but its species has emerged as a symbol of hope for wildlife conservation. Green turtles have made the rare jump from endangered to "least concern" in global conservation rankings, a remarkable success when many species are declining. Conservation NGO World Wildlife Fund (WWF), in its biannual Living Planet Report released Thursday, found a 73-percent decline in the average size of monitored wildlife populations over 53 years.
Science
Eight endangered orangutans were released into a protected forest in Indonesia after wildfires destroyed their habitat.
